page_title: Allan Border
section_title: Reluctant captain
hierarchical_section_title: Allan Border / Cricket career / Reluctant captain
caption_attribution_description: In 1986 a group of Australian Cricket stars visited Victoria University in Wellington to promote the installation of an artificial cricket pitch at Kelburn Park. The park is owned by Wellington City Council but has been the home of Victoria University Cricket Club since 1906. The stars were Allan Border, Craig McDermott, Bruce Reid and Geoff Marsh. We assume that the pitch was sponsored by New Zealand Post as there are images of the pitch with the New Zealand Post logo applied. Pictured here we have Allan Border. Allan Border played 156 tests and 273 ODI’s for Australia. He made his last international appearance in 1994 This image is from a series of photos transferred by New Zealand Post to Archives New Zealand. The collection was part of the Post Office Museum and Archives. This image and other items from the series can be seen in the Wellington Reading Room of Archives New Zealand. For further enquiries please email Research.Archives@dia.govt.nz File Reference: AAME 8106 W5603 125 11/10/111 archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=20940820 Throughout the Cricket World Cup 2015, Archives New Zealand will be highlighting a selection of cricket related records which are found in our holdings. For further updates on our cricket posts and other streams follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/ArchivesNZ Material from Archives New Zealand
context_page_description: Allan Robert Border AO is an Australian cricket commentator and former international cricketer. A batsman, Border was for many years the captain of the Australian team. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test matches in his career, a record until it was passed by fellow Australian Steve Waugh. Border formerly held the world record for the number of consecutive Test appearances of 153, before it was surpassed in June 2018 by Alastair Cook, and is second on the list of number of Tests as captain.
  He was primarily a left hand batsman, but also had occasional success as a part-time left arm orthodox spinner. Border amassed 11,174 Test runs. He hit 27 centuries in his Test career. He retired as Australia's most capped player and leading run-scorer in both Tests and ODIs. His Australian record for Test Match runs stood for 15 years before Ricky Ponting overtook him during the Third Ashes Test against England in July 2009.
  Border was one of the 55 inaugural inductees of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
  In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, Allan Border was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for his role as a "sports legend".
context_section_description: After a short successful tour of India, Australia faced the West Indies again in the 1984–85 season.  After suffering heavy losses in the first two Tests, Hughes was unable to fight back tears  as he resigned as captain during a press conference.  Despite Border's limited captaincy experience and stated indifference to taking the position, he replaced Hughes for the Third Test at Adelaide, which the Australians also lost: it was their sixth consecutive defeat to the West Indies.  The tide turned somewhat when Border led the team to a draw and then a win in the final two Tests, but his own form suffered, and he averaged only 27.33 for his 246 runs.  He distinguished himself in the one-dayers, though, by savaging an attack comprising Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Winston Davis and Viv Richards for 127 not out off 140 balls at the SCG.  Knox, who was present that day, described him as "the finest all-round one-day cricketer of his time, alongside Viv Richards", in spite of the fact that "his reputation is built on stodge and defiance".
  In April 1985, Australia's prospects were weakened when plans were announced for a team of Australians to tour South Africa, in defiance of the Gleneagles Agreement. Seven players, originally selected for the 1985 Ashes tour, had signed for the Hughes-led "rebel" team and withdrew from the squad.  The disloyalty of the players affected Border deeply: journalist Mike Coward described his going into a "depression" and noted that, while he eventually forgave the players involved, he never forgot.
  Australia was defeated three-one by England, with the team's only success coming in the Second Test at Lord's, where Border hit 196.  His unbeaten 146 in the second innings of the Fourth Test at Manchester saved Australia from another defeat.  In all, he amassed 597 runs at 66.33 in the series, and 1,355 first-class runs at 71.31 for the tour, including eight centuries, making him easily Australia's best batsman.
  Australia continued to struggle during the 1985–86 season, when New Zealand defeated them in a Test series for the first time.  Despite Border's unbeaten 152 in the second innings, Australia fell to a heavy defeat in the First Test at Brisbane.  Although they bounced back to win the Second Test, New Zealand took the Third to take a two-one series victory.
  During the subsequent three-Test series against India, the tourists dominated but failed to force a result, and the series was drawn.  In the Second Test it took a last-wicket partnership of 77 between Border (who scored 163) and David Gilbert to deny India victory.  Border expressed his dismay at Australia's inability to perform under pressure.
  On the subsequent tour of New Zealand, Border's form remained good: he scored 140 and 114 not out in the Second Test, before Australia lost the Third in Auckland, thus losing another series.  Over the course of the extended summer, Border scored four Test centuries, but the continued poor form of the team pushed him to breaking point.  After another loss in an ODI on the tour, he threatened to quit as captain if performances failed to improve.
caption: Allan Border in Wellington,1986
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